Namonaki
by Inopportune Opportunist
Summary: This feeling is simply indefinable. Prideshipping
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So this is my first Yu-Gi-Oh! fic with a pairing. It'll probably get really cheesy and silly by the last chapter and I'm pretty sure this could be called cliche. So, anyway Prideshipping!

Disclaimer: I actually have volume two of the manga sitting next to me, however, that fact in no way transfers the rights of Yu-Gi-Oh! from Kazuki Takahashi to me.

Warnings:Shounen-ai, rape, OOC-ness, and use of Japanese names for the characters. If you are not comfortable with any of these subjects please hit the back button.

* * *

Chapter 1

Yami sighed and leaned back on the cold bench, his hands resting loosely in the pockets of his long, coal-black wool coat. "At least it stopped snowing," he assured himself tiredly. In all honesty, the young pharaoh shouldn't have been sitting in the park so late at night. Certainly, he should have been back in the Game Shop, sitting in front of the warm fireplace with his aibou or snuggled up under his covers. But he wasn't either of those things at the moment, in fact, he wouldn't be anywhere near the former for a very long time.

'_I can't face him now, not after what I said,' _he told himself miserably. _'I had no right to blow up at them like that, they didn't mean anything by it; it was only a small mistake.'_

No matter how he tried to justify their ignorance, their small oversight, it just didn't make sense. Well, maybe it did for Anzu, after all, she'd spent their entire friendship trying to convince herself that he and Yugi where one person. Though the dancer did differentiate between them according to personality and slight physical dissimilarities. However, Jou and Honda had no such mental blocks; they could not be so ignorant without inciting the pharaoh's wrath.

They had called him 'Yugi' again. Not that there was anything wrong with the name or being associated with the owner of that name. But now that he was separate it was ridiculously obvious that he wasn't Yugi. He could understand a few slip-ups, especially if Yugi wasn't in the vicinity; he had to admit that their appearances were similar. But Yugi had been standing right next to him the entire night.

'_Maybe they were doing it on purpose?' _his mind supplied.

It was a possibility as they had each called him Yugi at least twice that night. Where they trying to alienate him or did they just deny his individual existence? He did that often as well; it was hard to think of yourself as a singular entity when you had spent the last few years of your conscious existence sharing the body of another. However, they could see and touch them. Even if he forgot that he was real, they shouldn't be able to.

Yami sighed again, dropping his head into his cold hands. He wanted to go home.

'_I wonder if they're even out here looking for me.'_

They probably weren't. It was below freezing at this time of night and they had school the next day. Would he even want them out looking for him? _'No.'_

He shuddered when a draught of cold air rushed past him. _'I should head home and apologize. I shouldn't have snapped like that…'_

The pharaoh stood, stretching a little, his joints stuck with the chill air. How long had been outside? An hour? Two? He searched the sky for an answer, seeking out the position of a particular star. _'Four hours? Has it been so long?' _Yami turned to the general direction of the Game Shop and began walking quickly. Numb and tired, he didn't sense the threat behind him until the bottle broke over his head, and then it was too late.

* * *

A/N: I hope it wasn't too bad. If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes please tell me, I get really annoyed when authors don't correct their work before posting. If you leave a review tell me your honest opinion. And please do leave a review, I'd like to hear from all of you.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:Yeah, chapter 2! I actually finished this last week but I want to set a regular update schedule. A new chapter should be posted every week before or on Wednesday. If I have something I need to work on and don't post on Wednesday, I'll post the Saturday of that week. Does that sound okay? Anyway, I rewrote this three times before it seemed to match the mood of the first chapter.

Disclaimer: No poseo Yu-Gi-Oh!.

Warnings: Yaoi, **EXPLICIT RAPE SCENE, **OOC Yami

* * *

Chapter 2

He awoke sweaty even in the chilly winter air. Perspiration clung to him, freezing his skin and forced a shiver out of his agonized body. His tight black skinny jeans clung to his trembling knees, giving the demon behind him access to his most personal flesh. It was an odd feeling; beyond the pain was the sensation of his upper body flopping with every thrust. Yami almost hated the fact that his legs dwarfed the height of his torso by nearly six inches. The constant jostling kept him dizzy and incoherent, stopped him from crying out.

There was something trickling down his legs from between his thighs. _'Blood?' _Whoever was doing this to him was grunting loudly; mumbling profanity into the empty alleyway. Helplessness was not an emotion he was used to. He wanted to cry, out of anguish, out of frustration, out of _fear_.

A yell echoed off the brick and concrete buildings and the meaty hands loosed his hips, dropping his form to the ground. A foot rammed into his stomach and Yami wheezed loudly, wondering if one of his lungs had been punctured as it was obvious that at least three of his ribs were broken.

"Fucking cunt," growled Yami's attacker. The man turned and stomped off. The King of Games waited until the rapist's footsteps were no longer audible and then allowed the tears to fall freely down his bruised face and mix with the blood lost after the bottle had been slammed against his head. He let out a few shuddering breaths but refused to sob; he needed to get up and find some help.

It was only once the duelist tried to stand that he realized his arms were tied behind his back. So despite the disturbing ache in his lower back and upper thighs, he pulled himself to his knees and began shuffling toward the street. The flow of tears became heavier as did the stream of fluid running from between his legs. _'It's not all blood,'_ a little voice whispered and Yami felt the magnitude of the event slam into his thin body. He sobbed openly now but continued in the direction of the road, his only chance of help.

Upon reaching the sidewalk, the pharaoh had to stop himself from laying down right there and just sleeping. He nearly screamed when he noticed that the buildings to his left and right were both offices; no one was in them, no one would be there to help him. Across the street however was a small, family-owned business with an apartment above it. He could see the lights on through one of the windows.

Looking at the empty street he decided it was his only option. Yami crawled forward onto the icy streets. He only made it halfway across before collapsing, the tail of his bloody coat flaring out to land across his petite frame.

* * *

Kaiba Seto was driving slowly.

If anyone who knew him had seen the speedometer at that moment, they might have assumed that Hell had frozen over. The CEO just didn't _do_ slow; it was unheard of for him to go any less than 80mph (unless he was in a school zone, he actually cared about the safety of children). At the moment though, he was much too tired to go over 50, which was still fast considering that the speed limit was 30mph.

The teenage billionaire glanced down at the digital clock above the radio controls of his sleek sports car. _'2:27, at least it's earlier than last night.'_

He looked back up at the road just in time to see a lump in the middle of the snow-covered road. _'Damn drunks, lying in the middle of the road like that.' _Kaiba was about to steer around the body but in the flash of his headlights he saw a pool of deep red haloing the head of his obstacle. He swerved a bit to avoid the body while hitting the brake pedal hard.

When the vehicle stopped he shifted into 'Park' and flicked his brights on to see by. Seto was out and kneeling next to the prone form before he even realized it. Looking into the face of the man he almost gasped in shock.

Almost.

"It's a good thing I stopped, nobody else would have helped a freak like you," he told the unconscious figure. He began meticulously examining the body of his rival, noticing that his long coat was open, Seto pulled back a lapel to look for injuries beneath. Seeing what was beneath the heavy wool, the CEO dropped the fabric and backed away. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed for an ambulance.

* * *

Once the paramedics had loaded Yami into the back of the ambulance and the police had searched the perimeter and given Kaiba a sort of preliminary interrogation, said billionaire got back into his car and followed the emergency vehicle to the hospital. Luckily the roads were clear and salt had been laid so the streets could be easily travelled without chance of traffic or black ice. When they arrived at the emergency entrance, Seto suddenly realized that he had been holding his breath during the entire trip.

They wheeled Yami through a set of double doors on a gurney, a male nurse using a serrated knife to saw the rope that held the duelist's arms together. Unable to follow, Kaiba settled into a chair in a corner of the room, far from waiting patients and worried relatives. He stood only when a nurse recognized him and beckoned him over to sign papers. She asked him if he was a relative.

"No," he replied. "But I've known him for a few years." The woman frowned but asked for his consent to perform a rape kit.

The CEO had a flashback of Yami's bare and bloody body beneath his heavy winter coat. "Of course," he answered. She nodded, turned on her heel and left the waiting room.

* * *

Yami flinched at the bright, fluorescent lighting as his eyes opened. For a moment he wondered why the light in he and Yugi's shared bedroom was on in the middle of the night. Then he recalled the night before. _'I never made it home.'_

He turned beneath the thin white sheets, searching the room for a clue as to his whereabouts or perhaps another person who might be able to explain his odd predicament. The pharaoh found no such person but recognized the hospital setting from those silly romantic shows that Anzu liked to watch. Glancing above his head, he noticed the call button. However, when he tried to sit up and reach it a terrible ache radiated from between his thin thighs.

All at once, the night before came racing back to him. The pain of glass shattering on his head, waking up staring into the ground and the sound of grunting that accompanied the sting of another man entering him from behind. He couldn't recollect crying out, but now his throat was raw and sore.

Blinking back tears, Yami stretched his slender arm up as high as he could and was able to press the call button in with his middle finger.

* * *

A/N: The rape scene wasn't originally going to be part of the story but I decided to add it. Not sure why though. Anyway, tomorrow I have early release so I'll be rereading what I have for chapter3 and editing/completely rewriting it, because, as of now, it doesn't fit the story at all. Well, tell me what you thought. Oh, and cookies to TheWatcher4 and arDent-riVal for reviewing last chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So I finished this early and got really ansty about posting it. I'm afraid that if I leave it sitting until Wednesday I'll start adding really crappy pieces to it in an effort to appease my over-active perfectionism. Think of this as a Halloween gift or, if you don't have/celebrate Halloween, a surprise update. Before you read, here are some answers to reviews I got:

**yaminisu - **I'm not actually so sure why I named it Namonaki; I suppose it has to do with what Yami was so upset about in the first chapter. I'll have to look through my notes for this and see what I have in store.

**BlueSeptember **- Oh wow! You're actually one of my favorite authors to read. I loved 'The Hot Spot' and what you have of 'Countdown to Armegeddon.' Thanks for the review!

**JollyBigSis - ***blushes* Wow, no ones ever complemented my writing so much before. Oh, and hopefully Yami will be a _little_ less OOC in this chapter. But only a little.

Disclaimer: Ummmmmmmm... no, no I don't own it. (Sorry, had to think about it. It's such an easy thing to forget.)

**Warnings: **Yaoi, OOC Yami, crying, lying to an old man, witty banter

* * *

Chapter 3

It was around four a.m. when they finally announced that Yami was awake and ready to receive visitors. Seto demanded that he be allowed in immediately and was led to a room that held two beds. The second was unoccupied but Kaiba made a note to have Yami moved to a private room as soon as possible.

The pharaoh was surprised to see his rival but quickly hid behind his poker face. It wouldn't do for Seto – or anyone else – to see him so weak. Even though he supposed his family would have to know about it someday, however the prospect of explaining what had happened to him wasn't at all appealing. Trying to ignore the tightening of his chest and throat at the thought of the previous_ incident_, Yami sat up a little straighter and swept his prideful gaze over the tall CEO.

"I trust you are feeling better?" Yami blanched, did Kaiba know?

"I don't know what you're referring to Kaiba," the spirit dodged. But Kaiba wasn't anything like Jou and would never fall for his bluff.

"I found you bleeding and half-naked lying in the middle of the street nearly two hours ago. Now answer my question."

"What were you doing out so early in the morning? Buying drugs?"

"For your information, I was driving home from work. I saw you lying in the street and had you brought to the hospital. That's all you need to know." Seto turned his head to stare at the ugly, generic watercolor on the wall across from Yami's bed.

The pharaoh clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the pain throbbing through his lower half and concentrate on finding an excuse. There was no disputing that Kaiba knew he had been raped; the brunette wasn't stupid. Yami only hoped he would disregard that fact in the future; it would terrify him to see pity for himself in the eyes of a man who had always respected him.

"Did you tell anyone where I am?" he finally asked.

"No."

"Then yes, I am much better thank you," Yami paused for a moment then held his hand out to the imposing figure. "Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"So I can make a call of course. What else do you do with a phone?" Seto parted his lips to reply and Yami interjected, "That was a rhetorical question Kaiba. I'm certain phones have other functions that I am not aware of. For all intents and purposes, let us agree that I am technology-challenged and leave it at that. Now give me the damn phone."

Kaiba looked a bit put out but handed the pharaoh his cell phone. It took the king a whole minute to type in the number on the touch-screen. The CEO tapped his fingers irritably at the boy's slow progress; resisting the urge to rip the technology from his hands and dial the Game Shop himself.

Yami only realized after dialing that it was 4:30 in the morning and he would likely be waking up everyone in the house. After a few rings, Grandpa picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he queried sleepily.

"Grandpa? I'm sorry I'm calling so early I-"

The elderly man cut him off, "Yami! Where have you been? Is everything all right? Yugi's been so worried…"

"I'm perfectly fine Grandpa. There's something I need to take care of before it gets out of hand so I might not be back for a few days, two weeks at the most. Please, don't worry about me and keep Yugi and our friends from looking for me; I'm not even in Japan at the moment," oh gods, how he hated to lie, but he couldn't let them know.

"Are you certain you don't need any help Yami? If you're in trouble you need to tell me so I can help you; you know I would never judge you."

Yami took a shaky breath; the pain and the deception were making him nauseous. "I know Grandpa, but everything's all right. This is just something I need to do for myself, a journey of self-discovery if you will," Kaiba scoffed loudly and the spirit glared at him. "I'll call you later Grandpa; you should be sleeping."

"All right m'boy," Sugoroku sighed. "I hope to hear from you again soon. Good luck and stay out of trouble. I love you."

"I… I love you too Grandpa. Goodbye…"

"Goodbye son. Be safe," the phone clicked off and Yami hit the "End Call" button on the cell phone. He was trembling now, his eyes filled with tears and his breath labored. He wanted so badly to cry, but he couldn't, his pride wouldn't allow it, even if Kaiba wasn't in the room.

Seeing the petite duelist struggle with his emotions, Seto wanted to leave the room. The businessman wasn't any good with breakdowns or crying; not even his own. But Yami needed help and as Mokuba had told him many a time, it was okay to cry. So he sat down on the bed, took the pharaoh's shoulders in his hands, pulled him to his chest, and murmured, "Get it over with."

Yami tried to resist at first; shaking his head and pulling away. But Kaiba was persistent (or perhaps just stubborn) and pulled the boy closer, holding him tighter. The teenager finally began to sob freely into the taller boy's grey button-up silk shirt, gripping his broader shoulders with thin fingers.

His breathing was loud, his sobs trembling with his body. It hurt, it just hurt and he needed to cry about it and Seto was letting him, telling him it was all right. But it also hurt to show this side of himself to Kaiba. When he began to hyperventilate, the CEO rubbed his back in slow, awkward circles. "I'm sorry," whispered the smaller boy.

"For what?"

"I-inconveniencing you. I'm not usually like this…" the spirit trailed off.

"I would never have just left you there Yami; I'm not that horrible of a person. As of now, I think helping you recover is my main priority."

"I didn't mean to imply that you were-"

"I know Yami."

"Kaiba?"

"Yes Yami?"

"Thank you."

"Hn."

Seto smiled gently as the little king pushed a bit closer, ignoring the spasms of pain shooting up his spine.

**

* * *

By the time the nurse entered the room, Yami was fast asleep and Seto was trying not to drift off. The CEO sat up when he heard the door open and turned to acknowledge the woman. She nodded her hello and unhooked the clipboard from the end of the bed. Kaiba watched her examine the two machines the spirit was connected to, check the intravenous drip and take notes.**

"How long has he been asleep?" she whispered.

"About twenty minutes," the businessman shrugged.

"I'll be back to administer his pain medication in a few minutes," she said, scribbling something down on the paper. Before she could step through the doorway, Kaiba called her back.

"Wait," she looked over her shoulder at him. "I'd like to have him moved to a private room."

"Of course, I'll call his doctor for permission and have him transferred by the end of the day Mr. Kaiba."

"Good."

The nurse took her leave, her sneakers squeaking slightly as she went. Leaning back in his chair, Seto pulled out his cell phone for the third time that morning. Mokuba would be up and worrying about him by now.

* * *

A/N: Now that my story is completely derailed... JK, but this really isn't the direction I originally intended. It was going to be a little lighter but... Stuff happens. I hope you enjoyed this early installment.

Next Time, On the sappy hospital soap opera of DOOM:

Yami finds out Seto's been cheating on him with a chimp named Steve and Jou falls into another coma!

Heh, I had to put it there.

So... Review? *puppy dog face*


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I just lived through the longest week of my life. *drops dead* I had planned to finish this by Saturday but nothing worked out. I spent most of my weekend in bed sick and I'm still sick but I can't miss school so I'm doing this right now instead of studying for the two tests I have tomorrow. Anyway, I think the chapter came out better for it. As I said before, the plot for this story has been completely derailed so I had no idea what to do for this chapter so I was just going on instinct. There's some chemistry in this chapter (especially the periodic table! JK XD) between Yami and Seto. It was insanely hard to write until about halway through when my muse decided to wake up. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All of my money is being saved up for my trip to Europe next year. As of now I have $95 which is not enough to buy a multi-million dollar production such as Yu-Gi-Oh!

Warnings: Yaoi, shounen-ai, insensitive yet reflective CEOs, OOC-ness on all parts

* * *

Chapter 4

The nurse returned precisely twelve minutes after she had left. Two young men, probably volunteers, trailed into the room behind her. One pushed a wheelchair while his companion carried a soft blue blanket. Seto, having called Mokuba – reassuring the younger boy that all was well and that he would be home later that night – was ready to assist in the process of moving Yami to the private room.

As the room's only female occupant shook her patient awake, her assistants pulled two extra pillows from the cabinet in the corner and settled them on the chair. Yami stirred groggily at the woman's touch but brushed the hand away and tried to curl up further into the bed. This was a grave miscalculation on the pharaoh's part; he'd forgotten the horrible, stinging pain in his lower back. The spirit hissed through his perfect teeth, scrunching his face up.

"Wake up Yami," the nurse sing-songed. "The sooner you get up, the sooner you get to your new room. Then I'll give you some painkillers. Won't that be nice?"

Yami muttered incoherently at the woman as she bent over him.

"Hm? What was that Yami?"

"I dun wanna moo'," he murmured, wrapping his slender arms around a thick pillow. Seto let out an uncharacteristic chuckle and the boy king looked up at the CEO, glaring blearily. The taller duelist crossed his long arms over his broad chest, pretending that he hadn't laughed at him. Yami's eyes narrowed and his lips pursed in a delicate pout.

The nurse pulled the pharaoh up into a sitting position by his slender shoulders; he seemed much like a rag doll from that moment onward, allowing himself to be tugged and manipulated into the wheelchair. Kaiba watched with a look of plain indifference despite the worry he felt for the smaller boy. He wanted to growl when the volunteers pushed Yami upright in the chair, touching him gently, trying not to jostle his sore, bruised body.

The Game King stared forward blankly, trying to remove himself from the fear that human contact was causing. Seto pretended not to see the distress in his rival's ruby eyes; it wouldn't do for anyone to notice his less-than-characteristic behavior toward Yami. As the pharaoh was wheeled from the room the CEO followed behind, walking stiffly, his face a mask of stolidity.

* * *

Yami clenched his teeth behind pursed lips when he was helped into the new bed. The pain got worse every time he moved; his thighs and backside chafed horribly. Seto was standing in the corner, still and silent as a statue carved of marble. When the two boys finally left with the empty wheelchair, the nurse was standing next to him expectantly; fingering the plunger of a needle with her right hand as her left loosely gripped the tube connecting him to that funny little bag of fluid.

"Are you ready for your medication Yami?" she asked sweetly. He frowned but nodded in answer.

He laid back onto the fluffy white pillows, feeling his rival's stare on him. Kaiba would probably leave after this; there was no point in him staying for the rest of the day. Yami would be discharged in the early evening and then he would just have to hide out for a few days. He wasn't sure where though; his friends weren't supposed to know where he was and he didn't have the money to stay in a hotel. The pharaoh's eyes slid closed slowly, his thoughts became hazy, and his body relaxed as the pain medication sent him drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Kaiba passed the two hours of Yami's drugged sleep reading reports on his cell phone. Luckily, today of all days, his company seemed to be running smoothly. Recently he'd dispersed his operations, setting up different parts of his company in various cities. The financial portion was here in Domino, the PR branch was in Kyoto, Research and Development (at least the parts he didn't perform himself) was conducted in Tokyo, and so on. It kept his people busy and it was harder for his board – which had also been dispersed – to plot against him. Mokuba thought Seto was paranoid.

But the CEO was happy with the new arrangement. He could hold video conferences at any time of the day and all of his reports were able to be sent through his private server. Yep, he was definitely a genius.

Of course, it was that genius that alienated him from everyone, not just those of his own age group. He'd had trouble socializing long before he and Mokuba had been sent to live in the orphanage. It pained the billionaire to realize that, had he been raised by his real parents, he might have been able to overcome his awkwardness. But with Gozaburo, it had only become worse. Kaiba almost hated it, almost. But it was a part of him and he couldn't hate himself; he was too proud, too self-important to acknowledge his flaws.

Seto couldn't help but think that Gozaburo had won out in the end. Yes, Kaiba had all the money he could ever dream of having, yes, he was popular beyond belief, and yes, he had Mokuba. But he'd never be able to function like the average person. The CEO would never find someone to care about in a selfish way. He'd never be able to find someone he could lavish with gifts and come home to every night. No one to hold whenever he wanted to…

The teenager glanced down at the bed when Yami stirred weakly. Perhaps he could pretend for a while. Pretend that he had someone to protect and say sweet things to without sounding silly.

"Hey, pineapple head, when're you gonna get up? I have work to do today."

Okay, maybe not exactly sweet. But he was only teasing, that counted for something right?

* * *

Yami wasn't sure what to think when he opened his eyes and Kaiba Seto was leaning over him. What was he still doing at the hospital?

"Hey, pineapple head, when're you gonna get up? I have work to do today."

Deciding that this was some strange, drug-induced dream – possibly nightmare, he wasn't all that sure about Kaiba showing up in his unconscious imaginings – the pharaoh rolled over and snuggled deeper into the covers. Suddenly, something pinched the back of his shoulder. The king jerked, arching his back and straightening his legs involuntarily.

Kaiba chuckled lightly until Yami abruptly retracted his limbs, curling in on himself. The small duelist hissed in pain and Seto immediately felt terrible.

'_I forgot how much that would hurt him.'_

The Game King's eyes watered slightly and the CEO occupied himself with gently rubbing Yami's back. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Secretly he hoped the boy wouldn't hold his insensitivity against him.

Crimson eyes met cobalt and electricity flowed between them. The smaller shuddered, wrapping thin arms around slender shoulders. "It's all right, I overreacted a bit," he answered. Kaiba didn't believe one word of it but didn't call the other out. If Yami wanted to pretend he wasn't in pain, Seto wasn't going to ruin his little fantasy.

There was an awkward moment of silence as both searched for something more to say. Kaiba continued rubbing Yami's back and Yami chewed his lip thoughtfully. Neither really understood what had just passed between them. A mutual show of trust? Perhaps. A confession of weakness? Most definitely. But there was something more in that simple look. Something that had seemed to connect them through their irises and pull them together by means of an invisible, unbreakable thread.

The pharaoh pondered that it could be friendship, but it held none of the same emotion he felt for Anzu, Honda, Jou, Yugi, or Otogi or any others he might name. There was something deeper, just as deep as the blood that tied Seto and Mokuba together, that had held Atemu and Seth close in the days before the sealing of the shadows, but in a different way. As if rivalry had taken the exit for companionship and ended up somewhere completely different. Somewhere… somewhere neither had ever been before.

* * *

A/N: In hindsight, this isn't all that great... This week I have early release on Wednesday and no school on Thursday so I hope to have another chapter out by then, but that's not set in stone. Now I shall leave you with an interesting fact about Yu-Gi-Oh!

The thief village in Yu-Gi-Oh!, **Kul Elna** is an actual village in Egypt. Called **Kurena, **it is still occupied today and is full of secret passages used for smuggling. Ironically, an extremely important tomb full of royalty and officials sits just above the village and was never robbed nor even discovered until recently.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey guys, sorry you had to wait. I've been busy and my brain has been attacking me with new story ideas. In fact, I have four stories open on my desktop right now. This chapter is shorter that the last few have been but I couldn't find a way to lengthen it without making seem forced.

Warnings: Shounen-ai, sexual references, OOC-ness, lack of any real plot progression

Disclaimer: Working on it, tell you when I've got it.

* * *

Chapter 5

Checking out of the hospital was rather unexciting. Yami had been unceremoniously dumped into a wheelchair while Kaiba spent fifteen minutes signing papers. The nurse had handed the CEO a bag of medications with hand-written instructions inside and said a tired goodbye as Seto wheeled the pharaoh out the automated doors.

Despite the spirit's protests, Kaiba had lifted Yami up and settled him into the passenger seat of his sports car. Once the taller man had gotten in on the driver's side and sped off, there was no conversation. The atmosphere was still tense after the incident earlier in the day and neither wanted to disrupt the uncomfortable but welcome silence.

After a few minutes, the short duelist slumped over in his seat, fast asleep. The brunette let out a sigh of relief; he had escaped that suffocating awkwardness that had settled around him in the hospital room. Now he had to figure out what to do when he got home. Mokuba would be curious about Yami and Yami would need to be taken care of. Seto though for a moment about hiring a nurse but decided against it. If anyone found out that the pharaoh was living in his mansion he could kiss his reputation goodbye, the spirit would probably be upset as well.

As he turned into the long drive leading up to his house, Kaiba realized he had no idea what Yami wanted. The duelist wouldn't be all that happy with someone taking care of him nor would he want to speak about certain previous events. Was it best to just leave the young king alone?

Still uncertain, but relieved for the time being, the CEO pulled to a stop in front of his large abode. He held his breath once he rang the doorbell, his arms too full of the small pharaoh to unlock the door. Seto prayed silently that Mokuba would be at school, that he wouldn't answer the door. That way, Kaiba could simply sneak Yami in, confine him to a room and keep his little brother from ever finding out the duelist was in the house.

Silently, he wondered why bringing Yami home embarrassed him so badly.

* * *

The door had been opened by and ancient butler as Yami stirred momentarily in Seto's arms. Kaiba had carried his charge through the grand entryway, up a set of stairs and into a long hallway where the bedrooms were before facing his next conundrum: where would Yami sleep? The boy would need nearly constant care and supervision, something that the CEO wouldn't be able to provide unless the pharaoh followed him to work. Maybe he _should_ hire a nurse…

After several moments of thinking, the billionaire's arms grew tired and, choosing the room immediately to the right of his own master suite, Seto endeavored to put the smaller duelist to bed. Having years of practice with Mokuba, Kaiba found this task rather easy. He simply set the king down on the bed and gently sifted the bed sheets from underneath the boy and rested them overtop the sleeping teen. Moving to the chest at the foot of the bed, he found a dark red comforter to top off the sheets.

With only a few minor struggles from Yami, the CEO finished quickly and sat down in a brown leather over-stuffed chair to contemplate his options. He couldn't expose the Game King to his workplace, nor to a nurse, his staff was relatively small so none could be spared in the care of the short teenager, and since he could very well stay home…

Wait a minute, why couldn't he stay home? He could work from his study and keep Yami on the couch near his desk or even allow him to wander the bookshelves in the adjoining library. The king would be occupied and the genius wouldn't have to miss work. Why hadn't he thought of it before? A brief vision of Mokuba say, 'Nisama, sometimes you're so smart that you're just dumb,' flashed through his head.

Seto frowned, resting his head on the back of the chair as he waited. Had that nurse knocked Yami out before they left the hospital? He was almost worried since the petite teenager had been asleep for about an hour and half now, despite all of the jostling and changes of scenery. Usually Yami was so much more alert than this, sometimes to the point that his perceptiveness got on Seto's nerves.

Wondering if he would regret it later, the taller duelist went to shake the sleeping teen awake.

* * *

The pharaoh glared drowsily at his rival when his rest was interrupted, his wine-colored eyes bleary. He was sweating under the heat of the blankets piled atop his slender form. A moment later, a hand – larger than his own – came into focus. In its grasp was clutched a cold glass of water, condensation beading and slicking the tan appendage supporting it. For Yami there seemed to be nothing more important at that time than the beverage in front of his face as it teased his dry mouth with its dampness.

Another hand came around to grip him by the short hair on the back of his neck, pushing him up to meet the lip of the glass. The spirit gulped thirstily as the hand holding the beverage slowly tipped the drink upward, allowing it to empty down between Yami's dry lips. All too soon the glass was pulled away and his head dropped back onto the pillow. A cool hand returned to press against his clammy forehead.

"Hmm, no fever," decided a gravelly voice.

"Kaiba?" he queried, his own voice scratchy with disuse.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure you aren't sick, midget."

"And what's the prognosis good doctor?"

Smirking, the young CEO played along. "I believe that you are suffering from minor dehydration and an over-inflated ego."

"Isn't that my line?" Yami asked.

Seto made a big show of pouting. "What are you talking about; my ego's not _that _big."

"Now you're talking about something _else_ entirely Kaiba!"

The brunette flushed, though Yami wasn't sure if it was from anger or embarrassment. They were silent after that final comment. What had just happened? Why were they bantering like old friends? Neither was certain how the conversation had started; who had instigated the familiar exchange? Seto broke the silence by picking up the empty glass, wiping the puddle of condensation from the bedside table with his arm and muttering, "I'll be back," before stalking out of the room. The pharaoh was left to contemplate the meaning of their amiable teasing and the odd feeling welling up in his chest.

* * *

A/N: Tell me about any grammar or spelling mistakes. I should post at least once next week over Thanksgiving Break. Also, my 16th birthday is on the 29th and I'm thinking of posting my first ever lemon. *blush* It probably won't be any good but tell me if you think I should upload it.

Random Yu-Gi-Oh! Related Fact:

According to Islam, **Maalik** is the chief of the angels who governs Hell.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Hey people! I decided to upload this today since I'll be gone almost all day tomorrow spending time with a bunch of people I barely know and don't really like. Because, apparently, that's what Thanksgiving's all about. I'm not sure how good this'll be, since I'm tired and I've been reading in Spanish all day so my grammar might have suffered and the sentences might be a little choppy.

Disclaimer: Gee, I don't know, maybe I do. But, probably not.

Warnings: Mummified Yami, denial, angsting, pizza...

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6**

It had been a whole hour and Kaiba still hadn't returned. Yami had tried going back to sleep but his mind was too chaotic and the light filtering in from the window was too bright. As he shifted onto his side he began to notice how… how _gross_ he felt. He was sweaty and sticky and he could still feel _those_ hands on him. As if his attacker hadn't run off yet, as if he was still half-standing in that alleyway as that man…

Taking a steadying breath, the pharaoh stood quickly. He shouldn't think about that, he should try to forget… The spirit took a step forward before the vertigo from standing up too quickly began to affect him. His vision blurred and darkened and he stood completely still for a moment as his heart raced. When he could see clearly once again he moved toward the door opposite his bed, hoping it was the bathroom; he needed to be _clean_.

Luck happened to be on his side that day and the room behind the nondescript door was indeed a bathroom. A well-stocked bathroom with fluffy white towels and expensive body wash. Body wash that he rubbed into his skin with a loofah. The pharaoh didn't seem to realize how raw his skin was becoming, he could only see the invisible handprints of _that man _marring his body, making him disgusting.

Yami hear Seto pounding on the door asking him what was taking so long. Only the sound of the door opening disturbed him. He was scared when the intruder didn't announce himself immediately and moved to the corner of the shower furthest from the door, cowering before reminding himself that this was Kaiba's house. There were probably bodyguards and security cameras all over the estate, waiting for someone to try and break in.

Taking a deep breath, the spirit turned off the water and slid the curtain aside just enough to look out into the room. And there was Kaiba, looking pissed and poised to attack for being ignored. Yami almost stepped out to meet him but realized at the last moment that he was completely naked. Then he noticed he'd forgotten to grab a towel from the shelf next to the door before getting in the shower. He blushed madly.

"Yami!" Seto growled.

The mask slipped back into place and the pharaoh boldly stepped out of the shower, completely nude, and walked past his rival to take a towel.

"Yes Kaiba?"

The CEO's eye twitched as he tried not to look away in embarrassment, tried not to show that this fazed his guard in any way. The twitch got worse when, instead of wrapping the towel around his slender waist, the spirit began to dry his hair. Seto tried to keep his eyes on Yami's head. Er… the _upper_ one. Now Kaiba was blushing.

It was as Yami dried his hair that Seto noticed the damage he had dealt to his arms. The skin was scraped raw, the fine hairs pulled out. Momentarily, he forgot avoiding the pharaoh's more private areas and looked down to see the redness of his flat belly and slender legs. He reached for the spirit's thin wrist and grasped it. Yami looked up at him in shock; resisting before realizing that the CEO wasn't about to hurt him.

"What have you done to yourself?" the brunette questioned.

Yami grimaced when the hand on his torn flesh tightened. "Nothing, I was just cleaning up a bit."

Kaiba growled and jerked the little pharaoh closer, taking the towel from him in his empty hand. Kneeling to wrap the towel around the tiny body before him, Seto turned the Game King around to see the rest of his body. Scratches lined his back and hips while the skin just beneath his rear and between his round cheeks was almost bloody from being scraped at. He made a mental note to throw away the loofah and keep only washcloths in the room as long as Yami was staying at the mansion.

Defeated, Yami sighed an allowed himself to be let out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. There he was picked up gently and laid upon the soft bed and then left to his own devices as Seto disappeared back into the other room. He began to count the dots on the ceiling when he heard the tall CEO rummaging around in the cupboards below the sink. His count stopped at three hundred seventy-two when the elder Kaiba sibling returned with rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, two or three tubes of cream, gauze and bandages in his arms.

The pharaoh went limp the moment the brunette touched him, hissing in displeasure when the alcohol was applied but making no movements otherwise. Soon the spirit's arms, thighs, and calves were covered in gauze and bandages making it ridiculously hard to move. Not that Yami really wanted to go anywhere. And besides that, the CEO's possessive side had come out.

"Let's go have dinner," said Kaiba.

"I'm not hungry."

"Did I give you a choice?"

Yami mumbled something obscene about Seto's parentage while he was dragged from the bed and set on his feet. "You know, this isn't any way to treat a guest," he muttered.

"And?" asked the brunette, pushing the pharaoh forward with a hand on the small of his back.

It took a moment for the spirit to realize he had no comeback for that response and he quickly shut his mouth. You just couldn't argue with Seto Kaiba; he was too stubborn to give up and too smart to lose. Shaking his head, Yami continued to walk down the hall, each step a labor. He was still sore from the _Incident_ and the bandages weren't helping but overall, he felt a lot better. There was just something about having a person take care of him. Even if it was the indignant, self-righteous, overbearing, critical bastard of a CEO.

* * *

When Kaiba said 'let's have dinner,' he really meant, 'I'll sit and work on my laptop while you order pizza.' This plan nearly backfired when Yami realized he had no idea what the mansion's address was. Of course, when he asked, the man on the other end of the line knew exactly where the enormous house was and expressed that he would happily rush it to him.

The spirit then visited the kitchen to search for a side dish, and – after finding the main pantry full of sugary cereals and breakfast items and half a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter in one of the cabinets – he decided that the Kaibas always ordered out. It was odd; he'd been expecting a private chef for Mokuba at least. Seto apparently didn't even shop for groceries or hire someone to do it for him. It seemed that Mokuba got whatever he needed himself and the CEO just lived off air.

Yami could believe that. Seto was skinny enough, not that the petite duelist had any room to talk. He and Yugi where actually the same weight, and with the boy being around three inches shorter and a bit underweight himself… So, he was unhealthily thin but he did eat three meals a day which was more than he could say for Kaiba. Unless four or five cups of coffee counted as breakfast and lunch.

While he waited for the food to arrive, Yami sat in an overstuffed chair in the living room while the brunette reclined on a large leather sofa a few feet away. The pharaoh fidgeted, bored and unsure how to turn on the TV without bothering his stoic host. Kaiba seemed on edge as well; he would glance up from time to time, only looking back down when Yami met his piercing sapphire gaze.

When the doorbell rang, they both stood but the brunette gently pushed the Game King back down into his seat as he strode by, pulling out his wallet. The taller duelist returned with a small cheese pizza, a stack of napkins in his hand. They ate in the living room, the box resting between them on the coffee table.

Halfway through the meal, Yami moved to the floor, slipping his thin legs beneath the table and resting the back of his head on the couch. His arm brushed against Kaiba's leg whenever either of them moved, but neither minded the contact or noticed the silence. They relaxed, each comforted by the simple motions and familiar presence of the other.

* * *

**A/N: **Please review and tell me how it was! Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it.

**Random Yu-Gi-Oh! Related Fact:**

Atem or Atum, is rarely mentioned creator god. All things began and will end with him. He bore two children by masturbating and impregnating himself with his own semen. He is gender ambiguous and is often shown in Egyptian art laying on his back while suckling from his own erect penis.

(Hint: this is going to be a major plot point for one of my next stories)


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I just had the longest week ever. By the time I got home Friday night I was literally shaking from exhaustion and I still had things to do. I decided to finish this chapter for my own sanity, if I wasn't writing, I'd be doing homework and that would not have worked out well. To me, there seems to be a distinct difference in style between the first part of the chapter and the very last moments but I'm too tired to find a way to fix it without ruining anything. I also made this chapter a little longer than usual in apology for my late update. Between writing _Broken _and doing homework I had no time to write last week. I apologize for keeping you waiting.

Disclaimer: Can it not be inferred from the obvious descrepancies between the original story of Yu-Gi-Oh! and that of my fanwork that I do not own any part of the franchise?

Warning: Bad jokes, deadly milk, Western-style restaurants in Japan, lack of Mokuba, pants that are much to long, Yaoi

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 7**

"I wouldn't use that if I were you."

Yami set the carton of milk down just before pouring into his bowl of stale Cheerios.

"Why not?" he asked.

"It's probably expired," Kaiba explained as he moved closer. He picked up the container, turning it to find the expiration date. "Yep," he said, seeing that the beverage was far past its prime. "I think you'd die if you drank this."

"Then why is it in the house?"

"I dunno. Mokuba never uses it anymore, he eats breakfast at school," shrugged Seto, tossing the carton into the garbage bin.

"Hence the stale cereal?"

"Indeed."

An awkwardly silent moment passed and Yami shifted his weight over to his other leg. "So… What _is_ there for me to eat?"

"Nothing in the house, but I could take you somewhere," offered the brunette.

"I can't let anyone I know see me."

"So we'll go somewhere expensive."

"I don't have any clothes…"

The CEO huffed in annoyance. "So you just wanna starve? No problem, I'll leave you to it."

He turned as if to leave the room and Yami started to follow behind. Seto turned to look back at him and the pharaoh shifted uncomfortably beneath the gaze of the other. "I never said I didn't want to go," he admitted and the CEO immediately felt a little bad. The Game King was just being practical; he really didn't have any clothes except for what the hospital had returned to him and what Seto had lent to him.

The brunette sighed, "I suppose Mokuba might have something that would fit you."

* * *

Searching for an outfit shouldn't have been such a monumental task; the boy had a ton of clothing in his closet. But Mokuba was growing rapidly and, well… Yami wasn't. Seto, after seeing the way his little brother's clothing dwarfed the small pharaoh, immediately went searching for the boy's wardrobe from the previous winter. As it was still warm enough to go without sweaters and long-sleeved shirts they hadn't shopped for anything new that would fit the black-haired thirteen-year-old so those clothes would probably be the right size for the spirit.

A box labeled 'Winter' finally turned up in the back of the walk-in closet and Kaiba lifted without much trouble. He brought it out into the bedroom where Yami was waiting on the bed, sitting up straight with his hands in his lap. Seto noticed that the smaller duelist's toes just barely touched the floor; he'd never realized how short he was up until that point. Of course, he'd noticed it but it had never seemed so prominent before now. He wondered how high the pharaoh would come up to on his body.

Immediately, he shook the though from his mind, instead hoping that Mokuba's pants wouldn't be too big. Then he started to picture what it would look like if they were too large, how they would simply slide off, revealing Yami's bare…

'_STOP!_' he screamed at himself. He'd already seen all of the pharaoh, why did he have to picture it now?

"Um, Seto, the clothes?"

Kaiba looked down into Yami's eyes and suddenly realized that he'd been standing in the middle of the room with a box of clothes for an entire minute. The spirit was obviously trying not to laugh at him, a few giggles escaping between his lips. His soft lips. His soft, pink, moist, perfectly shaped…

He dropped the box on the floor in front of the pharaoh and muttered, "Find something suitable," before fleeing the room.

Leaning against the wall, just outside the door, the CEO was breathing deeply, trying to calm down. '_Am I… _attracted_ to _Yami?' Here he was, not even sure if he liked men, getting all hot and bothered over his rival. His rival who was most likely straight.

"Does this look okay?"

'_Or maybe not…_'

Yami stepped out of Mokuba's bedroom wearing a soft grey sweater and dark jeans that were just a little too long for him but seemed to cling to his slender legs otherwise. Seto gulped.

"Sure, now let's go," he demanded, feigning impatience to mask is overbearing lust. He stalked down the hall, the pharaoh following behind, rushing on his shorter legs.

* * *

They arrived at a rather expensive-looking restaurant after a short drive into downtown Domino. Kaiba was certain that it had been the longest ten minutes of his entire life. Every time he glanced at the smaller duelist, his mind would supply images of the two of them. Naked, sweaty, tangled bodies on his black bed sheets. Or Yami bent over the backseat of the car as he fucked him relentlessly. Or relaxing in the chair in his office while Yami rode him. Or-

"Are you coming?" queried the pharaoh.

Seto nearly had a heart attack, '_That sounded so wrong._' He nodded to the smaller, his expression strained. His pants were becoming uncomfortably tight. '_I can't do that to Yami; not after what he's been through_,' he reminded himself.

The maitre d' showed them to a table, immediately recognizing the billionaire CEO. Though, he seemed to have mistaken Yami for a girl and had asked for 'the lady's coat.' The spirit gave the man an odd look but handed him his jacket anyway. Seto noticed the moment the man recognized his mistake, but the headwaiter continued to play along, as if he hadn't just mistaken a young man for a woman.

Once they were seated and told their waiter would be with them soon, Yami began chuckling into his hand. Seto smirked.

"And how are you this fine morning, Ms. Yami?" he mocked.

The spirit rolled his crimson eyes. "Fabulous, absolutely fabulous," he responded sarcastically in a higher pitched voice and even Kaiba had to laugh.

"You know, you would make a rather pretty girl," the CEO spit out without thinking. The pharaoh looked at him with wide eyes for a moment. Recovering, Yami shook his head slightly.

"So that makes me an ugly boy?"

"No, it makes you a… a…"

Suddenly the spirit seemed so close, his lips so enticing, inviting him to move just that much closer and…

Yami's lashes fluttered when their lips met for a soft, brief kiss. Chaste and gentle and tantalizing…

They broke apart, wide-eyed and shocked. Kaiba reached for his rival but the shorter flinched away before they made contact. "Yami, that was-"

"How may I serve you, sirs?" came the bright voice of a young woman. They ordered and sat in silence as they waited for their meals to arrive, Seto sipping from a cup of coffee and Yami staring blankly into his lap, not moving. Neither knew how to break this strangely quiet moment or perhaps both were waiting for the other to speak.

Yami was confused; Seto, despite his philanthropic (as they seemed) gestures toward the pharaoh for the last week, did not express any outward signs that he meant anything by the kiss. Certainly, he had never even shown any sort of affection toward the petite king that he could recall. He looked up to study the CEO, peering from beneath his thick, black lashes, and found the other staring directly back at him. Blushing, he tried to avert his gaze, but found himself utterly frozen. The string was there again, pulling them into each other by their gem-colored eyes. This feeling was all-engulfing and Yami's heart began to beat to it, a new rhythm he could not fully comprehend with his mind.

The hand clutching Seto's coffee seemed unsteady and, out of caution, he set the mug on the table. The brunette felt suddenly warm and flushed; his blood rushing, drowning out coherent thought. He moved forward again.

Their lips met a second time and both were too shocked to move. Yami, abruptly becoming mobile, leaned forward, across the small table. He reached forward with his slender arms to embrace Kaiba and pull him closer. Seto's tongue darted out to skim the pharaoh's lips and the spirit responded by allowing him into his small, soft, warm mouth. They battled for a moment, but Yami, seeing that they could go on forever without a clear victor, permitted the other to dominate the intimate act.

It was no longer a kiss. Their lips, their mouths were pressed against each other hungrily, yes, but somewhere, deeper, their souls were winding together. Their very spirits clashed violently, catching on each other, forming connections with every meeting. Like thistles on silk, Seto's painful barbs grabbed at the pharaoh's smooth, innately gentler soul. And the gaps of the young king's memory were filled with something… love-like. Not love, but something based on it. For the first time in years, he didn't feel empty, as if something essential were missing.

They pulled away, gasping for breath and still attached by their pupils. Realization dawned on both; everything was different now.

The waitress returned laden with Western-style breakfast items. When she left again, they ate in silence, each staring into the other's eyes, unabashed. Despite the revelations made that morning, everything had just become much more complicated.

* * *

**A/N:** It is now quite obvious to me that the characters and their damned development have hi-jacked my original story which included a longer hospital stay, a visit from Yugi and Grandpa, and a trip to another country. I've already thrown out my outline and am now winging it! I'm now estimating anywhere from ten to fifteen chapters where I originally anticipated five. This could technically go on forever. Thanks for reading and please review and tell me what you think of this chapter, or the story in general.

_"Don't make me laugh you baby Goth!" – Bandit Keith to Yami, Yu-Gi-Oh: Duelist Vol. 4, Chapter 3, Page 7_

Yes, he seriously said that to Yami...


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Hello again, I know it's a little strange to be posting another chapter already, but I finished this last night and I'm one of those people who can't hold it in when I have something new, like money. So I hope you enjoy this quick update!

Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, probably never will...

Warnings: **Graphic Masturbation scene!, **horny Seto, depressed Yami, Yaoi, books, lewd thoughts

Yami was wholly disappointed when Seto locked himself away in his office after arriving home from the restaurant. They had so much to discuss; so much to admit to each other and themselves. Of course, if it had 'emotion' written all over like this did, Kaiba would adamantly refuse to acknowledge it.

Around four o'clock that afternoon, Yami had to hide away in his room because Mokuba usually came home around that time. And heaven forbid that the child see him. Yami was certain that the boy could keep the secret of his whereabouts from Yugi and the others; they didn't even go to the same school. But the elder Kaiba brother insisted that Mokuba wasn't above slips of the tongue. And Seto's word was, apparently, law.

It wouldn't have been so bad sitting in the guest room alone except that he couldn't have the television on. Okay, he could, but he wasn't sure how exactly to operate it; there were simply too many buttons. That left two activities: bathing – which he wouldn't be able to do without someone to help him replace his bandages – and reading. Reading was the obvious choice, except that the books were kept in the study, where Kaiba was working. Despite his frustration at the man for avoiding him, Yami wasn't too keen on seeing Seto at the moment either.

'_I'll just grab enough books for the rest of the week and hopefully I won't have to speak to him for a while._'

Confident in his plan but nervous about encountering the CEO, the pharaoh left the living room where he had been lounging, and made his way to the main staircase.

* * *

Seto stared idly at the screen of his laptop, ignoring the little messages at the bottom that alerted him to incoming emails. He really didn't have much work (that he actually wanted to do), so he was trying, instead, to not think about Yami. Blue eyes darted around the monitor, searching for something interesting to distract himself with. He noticed an icon that would link him to his compendium of dueling strategies. Dueling strategies to use against Yami. Yami who was sitting all alone somewhere in this huge house. Yami with his pretty, red eyes and his thick hair that seemed to be drooping a bit lately. Yami who could be laughing at him for the kisses that morning or… or crying because he was being ignored; because he was lonely and Seto was pretending not to care…

'_I_ _need something to do_,' he told himself. His mind automatically switched 'something' with the word 'someone' and he shook his head violently. '_Yami needs time to recover and maybe some therapy; I shouldn't be thinking about him like that right now!_'

He was mad; stark-raving bonkers. How was it possible that one human being that he didn't even necessarily _like _could hold his attention as he was? The tall duelist sighed, the only thing he could do was hope that Yami shortened the 'two weeks and the most' to 'two days'.

Distracted, Kaiba jumped when the door to his private study clicked open. He withheld his gaze, hoping that Mokuba was home early, two hours early…

After a moment, the CEO glanced up at the small figure stretching his body to reach a book that was just beyond his slender fingertips. Seto wanted to slam his face into his desk. Yami's shirt was riding-up just a little, revealing soft, smooth flesh. And his ass just looked so _amazing_ in that position…

Position, Yami, sex, Yami, ass, Yami, skin, Yami, kiss, Yami, warm, Yami, cute, Yami…

Kaiba's mind was about to explode, his face was flushed with desire while his mind protested that Yami deserved better.

Then… Yami turned around. Their gazes met briefly and Seto felt his cock twitch at the way Yami had his hip popped out to the side. The spirit looked down, staring straight through the stack of books in his hands and into his thoughts. He gave the CEO a fleeting look before turning on his heel and leaving the room, the door shut softly behind him.

The brunette breathed hard, feeling his erection pulsing between his thighs. Should he take a cold shower? He'd heard somewhere that those didn't really work but there wasn't any other way to get rid of it. Waiting for it to go away wouldn't work, Yami was always on his mind; constantly renewing his arousal. Of course, he could do it the old-fashioned way…

But he'd never done that before; had never been so attracted to someone before that he needed to touch himself. '_It's the only way I can think of_,' he admitted to himself.

Taking a steadying breath, he unzipped his tan slacks, revealing the blue and white boxers underneath. His arousal immediately sprang upward, brushing against the soft cotton, and he sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. This was so _embarrassing. _Seto gently tugged his underwear down and realized that he was now sitting half-naked in his office chair. His face flushed even more.

Gritting his teeth, the CEO hesitantly encompassed his thick erection with his hand, not yet gripping it but still surrounding it. "Pitiful," he muttered, grasping his arousal suddenly. His leg muscles tightened as shockwaves of pleasure sizzled through the core of his body. He squeezed himself experimentally, hissing in yet unknown pleasure. Seto's hips jerked involuntarily as he ran a broad thumb over the tip of his erection, testing the unfamiliar ground he was now so cautiously treading.

The brunette shifted his hold downward, sliding carefully over the smooth skin of his arousal. When the side of his hand brushed accidentally against his sac, he nearly choked in surprise. He reached down with his other hand to fondle his balls lightly while simultaneously pumping his cock. Closing his eyes, he imaged Yami on his knees, playing with the taller's hard member, mouth gaping open, ready to take all of his length between his soft lips. He envisioned those lips to be swollen and bruised from both harsh and affectionate kisses, the pharaoh's hair tousled by Kaiba's fingers running through it, and the little king's own proud erection pointing upward from between his crouching legs.

He pumped and squeezed faster, harder, as his legs shook and the fantasy continued. Yami bent over his desk, his firm backside in the air. Yami chained to the bed, bucking up to meet his thrusts, begging for mercy or release. Then the pharaoh lay beneath him as he set a smooth, easy pace; the animalistic act of sex blossoming into love-making. Warm and soft and gentle; Seto's hand slowed, thinking of the spirit's soft moans and mewls of pleasure as the CEO took him carefully…

With a soft groan, Seto released, spraying his seed over his hands, his desk, and his black pants. Ignoring the mess momentarily, he leaned back into his chair and steadied his pulse and breathing. He pretended that Yami was sitting on his lap, worn from their carnal activities, eyes at half-mast as his warm breath ghosted over Kaiba's still-clothed chest.

Perhaps it was best that Yami leave early before Seto got a hold of him. But that didn't stop Kaiba from hoping that he would stay.

* * *

Closing the book in his hand, the pharaoh stood and stretched; his back aching and his muscles tugging where they were still healing. He really had tried to read but his mind was much too busy to concentrate on the characters he had a hard time reading anyhow. He contemplated trying to turn on the TV again; there wasn't much to do otherwise.

Yami turned toward the dark-wood nightstand and reached out to grab the remote from atop it. He was suddenly extremely conscious of his bandaged arms which were visible after his change back into some of Kaiba's clothing. Staring at the white, winding strips of medical tape, the pharaoh pondered his intentions the day before in the shower. Had he truly been trying to harm himself or had he been too distracted by his emotional pain to feel anything physical?

"So weak," he murmured, abruptly curling in on himself. Setting the remote down, he pulled the quilt on the bed back so he could slip beneath it. The sheets were cold on his over-heated skin as he pulled his knees to his slender chest, wrapping thing arms around them, wishing he was warmer. Wishing there was something… someone there to share heat with. '_Like Kaiba?_' he wondered, twisting the idea of the brunette in his bed around his brain like a bracelet around his wrist.

It was appealing, desirable even. Seto wrapping his large warm body around him, chasing away the cold. In the back of his mind, he admitted that no one else would do; not Jou, not Honda, not Ryou, not the Thief, not Otogi, not Anzu or Mai, not even Yugi. Only Seto; he was the only one Yami could imagine feeling thusly toward.

Yami shivered but he was no longer cold.

* * *

**A/N: **So, there we are, my first masturbation scene (though I've read plenty). Hopefully it was at least realistic and at the most, sexy. Seto's lust has been building up since the moment Yami stepped out of the shower naked, but I believe that 1) he would be too restrained to act on it without the other making a move and 2) he wants Yami to heal both physically and emotionally before he does anything with him. Yami is riding a deranged emotional rollercoaster, one moment he's responding to Kaiba's kisses and the other he's falling into despair and depression. He is in pain but thinks of it as a weakness and feels that Seto, though being more patient and gentle than usual, is still a complete jackass.

Thank you for reading and please review!

I won't even explain this one:

"I don't care how big he thinks his is, mine's bigger! You tell him that!"

-My friend Carlos whose every word can be misconstrued as innuendo

* * *

****

Chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **That was the longest two weeks of my entire life. I don't have exams until January but my teachers were giving all of their final course tests for the semester. (T.T I got a C on my history test.) I would have had this out on Saturday but while I was writing it, I paused to read some fics and my I got a new idea. So this is the third version of Chapter 9 that I've written. I made it longer to apologize...

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

**Warnings: **Dream rape, dream sex, OOC Yami and Seto, possible secret video cameras, nekkid-ness

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Three days without contact passed and Yami began to dream. Vivid images swam across his mind's eye; some fast, others achingly slow. He forgot many of them the moment he awoke; they left behind only impressions of emotion and color. But only some were true dreams, the others were nightmares.

Avoiding sleep became a priority but, despite his best efforts, the spirit could not resist the drooping of his eyes, especially when there was nothing to keep him awake. Spending most of his time in the room Kaiba had given him, Yami could usually be found huddled on the bed, beneath the sheets and several extra blankets, contemplating the events of the past week. The fight with the Yugi-tachi, the _incident_, being in the hospital for less than twenty-four hours, breakfast with Seto, the kiss_es…_

Uncertain of where his next steps would land, Yami stayed away from the tall CEO. And, as a result, he dreamt.

**

* * *

**

He allowed his eyelids to slip over his crimson orbs, telling himself that he could rest for a moment; that nothing could happen in such a short amount of time. Relaxing into the pile of pillows he'd found in the closet, the pharaoh, somehow tired despite the copious amount of sleep he had been getting, fell into unintentional slumber. The warmth of the covers crept around him, cocooning him in a pleasing heat.

The heat traveled over his slender body, slipping into his fingertips and filling him to the brim with something he'd never felt before – that he could recall. The heat became soft tendrils, pressing into his skin and igniting his veins with pleasure. The tendrils connected and grew, becoming large, firm hands that danced over his smooth body, rough in texture but gentle in intent.

Unconsciously, Yami smiled in content as a familiar face appeared above him, a body formed to connect it to the searching hands. Lightly-tanned skin coated solid muscles that flowed sinuously into each other. Long, thick arms became smooth, strong shoulders that poured into a slender column of neck up to the face that he so admired. A well-formed nose and square jaw were defined by high cheekbones that bled up into sharp blue eyes. Graceful eyebrows topped the brilliant orbs and the skin of his forehead led into the widow's peak that curved back into a mop of thick, dark, chestnut hair.

The hands moved slowly, sending tremors across the pharaoh's lean body. Gripping him, massaging him, melting him, they forced an all-encompassing heat downward, between his legs, in a way that he couldn't ever remember feeling. A voice drifted over him, deep and smooth, husky with lust and want.

"Yami, Yami-baby, I love you…"

The voice echoed and Yami's mind grew fuzzy with the warmth of his lover's hands.

"-mi-baby, I lo-"

"-baby, I-"

"-by-"

His heart became sluggish followed by his mind and the air around him grew colder, damper. The heat in his groin dispersed, prickling his veins harshly as it flooded his body.

"B-"

The hands became coarse and rough in their movements. They no longer sought his pleasure but their owner's.

"Bitch!"

Yami's eyes widened and he recognized this moment, this place, this man. The feeling of something too-big intruding upon his body, into a place that it was not meant to be.

"That's it Whore! Scream!"

Deaf to himself, Yami was uncertain if he made any noise at all, but the man was satisfied with whatever the spirit had done and allowed the small body to drop to the asphalt. Mumbled swearing and a kick to his ribs and it was over again. Then came hopelessness, the feeling of being lost forever and never being found, never going home, never hugging Yugi, never opening the Shop with Grandpa, never joking around with Jou and Honda, never being dragged to the mall by Anzu (and secretly enjoying it), never coming up with new game ideas with Otogi, never talking about cute boys with Shizuka and Mai, never meeting Mokuba at the arcade, never dueling… never seeing _him_ again. Never talking to him or sharing witticisms or fighting about absolutely nothing ever again.

Who was _he_ again? Yami's mind ached as he searched for the memory. Hadn't he just been there? Touching him so lovingly, so… softly?

Brown locks dangling in front of sky-colored eyes…

Yami forgot where he was, what had just occurred, and the alleyway around him dissolved into black nothingness. Once again, the bed was soft beneath him and the warm hands were chasing away the cold bleakness. There were fingers _there_ and the spirit was half-afraid of the bad thing happening again, but he wasn't sure what the bad thing was anymore.

'_So confused…_'

His body was being split by heat and slickness and friction. Yami's legs trembled as the body above him shifted and pressed forward. The spirit allowed his thighs to be spread, if only to allow for more of him to be filled. He moaned, so _full_. In all of his years he could never recall being stretched, being opened so far. It was almost painful…

The moving began, his insides were tender with pleasure and he felt himself shriek in bliss. Minutes of gasping and begging and screaming at the top of his lungs passed and something burst within him, spraying from him. He couldn't open his eyes to watch but he heard the one above him, the gentle one, shout in pleasure as heat coated the pharaoh's insides.

Sitting up, Yami gasped harshly, trying to pull air into his heaving lungs. His body shone with sweat as his mind raced.

"A dream?" he whispered hoarsely to himself.

Despite his wish to recall the cause of the intense satisfaction he now felt, the pharaoh suddenly noticed the sticky wetness covering his thighs. Groaning in embarrassment, he pulled the covers away, carefully avoiding his sensitive, spent arousal. Luckily he'd been wearing a pair of Kaiba's workout shorts which were made of some kind of slick material and had confined his ejaculate to his slender thighs. The bad news was that they were Kaiba's shorts and now they were covered in cum and the three thousand-year-old Egyptian king had no idea how to use a washing machine or where such a device would be kept in the Kaiba mansion.

Standing, he removed the shorts and his boxers which were soaked through. He blushed at the image of such a powerful release and decided to wash everything in the sink of his en suite bathroom.

**

* * *

**

Sitting in his desk chair, Seto was trying not to think about the boy in his guest room. He told himself not to remember the wet dreams and the ideas his mind had conjured upon seeing his leather belt before he put it on that morning. Despite his raging libido, the young CEO was worried about the little king. He hadn't left the guest room more than twice in the last three days and barely ate the food that Seto left for him each night after Mokuba was in bed.

Yami wasn't the type to give up and Kaiba would be damned if he did because of his rape. For the first time, Seto sat back and wondered if he should call the Yugi-tachi and spill everything. Tell them where Yami had been for the last week and what had happened that night when the brunette had found his blood-soaked rival laying in the road. They would know better than he what the pharaoh needed, how to help him.

Hearing a cry coming from down the hall, Seto jerked forward and stood quickly. He hesitated for a moment before racing to Yami's room.

**

* * *

**

(A/N: I was gonna leave it right here but then thought I'd give you some extra for having to wait so long)

Just as he entered the bathroom, there was a knock on the door. Tossing his soiled clothing in the general direction of the sink, Yami bent to grab a towel from the shelf just inside the bathroom door. As he leaned over, a key clicked in the lock and the doorknob turned, allowing access to a tall brunette. The world stopped for a moment as Seto's eyes widened and Yami turned his head to look over his shoulder at the intruder. Garnet met sapphire and they were shocked back to life.

Yami righted himself and clenched his teeth as the CEO slowly backed away. The spirit turned, giving his housemate and eyeful, and immediately launched the towel he was holding at Kaiba's face.

"Couldn't you just wait one minute!" Yami shouted as he stormed forward.

"Well, how was I supposed to know you were naked!" Seto spluttered. "You could have been asleep for all I knew!"

The spirit's face grew red in embarrassment and anger. Why did the bastard always have to win the arguments? "Next time, just stay out!"

"You're such a brat!"

"Well you're a pervert!"

"How am I the pervert? _You're _the one walking around _naked_!"

"In _my _room!"

"It's my house; I can go into any room I want!"

"Do walk in on Mokuba while he's getting dressed?"

"Well… no. But-" Seto's eyes trailed downward and Yami crossed his arms to keep from covering himself. He wanted to continue flustering the billionaire.

"PERVERT!" he called. "You just came in here to look at me, didn't you? I bet you have cameras in that office of yours and you've been watching me this entire time!"

Kaiba stuttered, not noticing the mirthful grin on the smaller's face. The spirit did his best to hold back his laughter.

"And you've probably been watching me shower too!"

"But I-"

"PERVERT!"

Yami let out a giggle and the taller looked down at his face in disbelief. The pharaoh snorted loudly before collapsing into giggles. The CEO's face reddened.

"You little…" he muttered, lifted the shorter into the air and tossing him onto the bed. Yami let out an uncharacteristic shriek as the taller flopped on top of him.

Through his laughter, the spirit managed to gasp, "You… you l-lose, Seto!"

As they calmed, they began to notice their position.

Yami finally recognized the gentle man from his dreams.

* * *

**A/N: **I feel like I could have done more, like actually furthering what I consider a plot (*searches for plot*) if there even is one anymore...

Tell me what you thought and about any spelling/grammar mistakes. Also, I've been reading The Dragon's Rose by s2Teennovelist. I like the story but I flinch at the malapropisms and grammar.

Happy Holidays! Hopefully I'll have another chapter by Saturday but I'm developing a new fic right now so I could get distracted.

"Birthdays are nature's way of telling us to eat more cake." -Moondogla, HBD Melon


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Wow, this chapter took longer than expected! I thought I'd be done in three days but it took over a week. It probably would have gone faster if I hadn't rewritten in twice... Anyway, I don't know how long the next update will take because next week is exam review week at school and the week after is exams but I only have to be at school from 7:30 to 11:00 on exam weeks. But I'm setting a goal of only **two **more chapters for this story. Then I'm thinking of doing a little two-shot I'll call "Tin Man" for reasons you will not know until I actually get it written. After that I might hold a poll to see what story everyone wants to read next, or I'll just post the one that I have the most written for.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own Yu-Gi-Oh!

**Warnings: **Angst, OOC-ness, interrupted "quality time"

**

* * *

**

****

Chapter 10

Seto, gasping for breath and distracted by his frustration, didn't notice the way Yami's eyes glittered in recognition.

"It was you?"

"Wha-?"

"You're the one from my dream who-" the spirit slapped a hand over his mouth.

Kaiba smirked, "So you've been dreaming about me?"

Yami blushed, hand still covering his face, and shook his head.

Seto opened his mouth to reply but sighed instead, falling forward on top of the smaller duelist.

"Kaiba?"

"About the other day, in the restaurant, just… just forget about it."

The pharaoh frowned, "And what if I don't want to? Did you ever consider that I liked kissing you?"

Confused, the tall CEO shook his head and protested. "But you didn't like it; I forced you to kiss me."

"You can't _make_ me do anything Seto; I kissed you all by myself," Yami explained, reaching up to play with a brown lock resting near his face.

Turning his head to look at the spirit, the brunette also frowned. "Then why did you-"

"SETO! I'M HOME!"

The two on the bed froze. "What's he doing home so early?" Yami whispered urgently as they disentangle themselves from each other.

"I don't know! Maybe it was early release today?"

Pushing the CEO off of him, the pharaoh sat up and ran to pull a pair of boxers and some pants from the dresser in the corner. "That was a rhetorical question, Kaiba. What I really meant was 'Get the Hell out of my room!'"

Rolling his eyes, the other stood from the floor and brushed himself off. He opened his mouth to snap back a witty reply but his little brother's voice rang through the house again, accompanied by his tromping footsteps as he ran through the house searching for the elder Kaiba.

"SETO! WHERE ARE YOU?"

The footsteps passed but stopped a few seconds later with the sound of a door opening. "Hmm… guess he's not in his office," Mokuba mused. "I'll just check his bedroom then."

"Mokuba? Have you found him yet?"

"No!" came the shouted reply. "So he wasn't in the kitchen, Yugi?"

"Nope," the other voice answered. The two teenagers in the bedroom froze again.

"What's _Yugi _doing here!" whimpered Yami worriedly.

The door of the room across from the one Yami inhabited opened.

"Aww… He's not in his room either."

Seto, the closer to the door, began moving away from it as they heard Yugi join Mokuba just outside the room.

"Could he be outside?"

"No way; Seto hates being outdoors. He must be downstairs somewhere!"

"But Mokuba, Isono told me that Kaiba was upstairs."

"Maybe we missed him; he could have taken another set of stairs."

As Seto took another step backwards, his heel caught on his pant leg and he went flying backwards. His back hit the bed, pushing it into the bedside table and knocking the lamp over. The taller's body hit the floor with a resounding thud followed by the crash of the lamp. Yami stood stunned, only one leg in his boxers and his pants lying in front of him on the floor.

"What was that?" called Yugi and the two shorter boys quickly opened the door to reveal a mostly naked Yami and a floored Seto. The former scrambled away into the connecting bathroom and slammed the door shut while the other tried to maintain his dignity by standing and glaring stoically at the small doppelganger of his houseguest.

Mokuba interrupted the scene by loudly shouting, "What the _fuck!_"

"Mokuba, language!" Seto sighed in exasperation. He turned to look at Yugi who looked angry but had tears of sadness collecting in his large, violet eyes. "It isn't what it looks like, Yugi. Let him explain when he comes back."

"So you weren't just about to have sex with him?"

The CEO nearly choked, "I'm not sure…"

"So you might have been about to sex up the other half of my soul?"

Seto gaped at the shorter boy; who knew Yugi could speak so bluntly? The duelist was usually so mild and sweet…

"Yugi?"

The three boys standing in the doorway turned to look at Yami who was peeking sheepishly out from behind the bathroom door.

"What is it Yami?" the addressed asked, stepping forward into the room. Squeezing past Kaiba whose tall form was blocking the doorway, he moved toward his nervous-looking friend.

"C-could we talk?" the pharaoh asked in a whisper. "Errr… alone?"

Perplexed, the amethyst-eyed boy frowned but entered the bathroom anyway. Mokuba moved to follow, perhaps to eavesdrop, but his elder brother held him back by his arm. Set pulled the smaller out into the hallway to give the other boys some privacy.

"Seto, has Yami been here the whole time?"

"No, he was in the hospital earlier this week," the brunette replied absently, listening for any shouting in the next room.

"Hospital? What was he doing in the hospital?"

Kaiba hesitated. Did Mokuba know what rape was? Would he treat Yami differently if he knew? Then the brunette realized that if the young pharaoh wanted anyone to know what happened to him, he needed to tell them himself. Still uncertain, he answered, "H-he… got hurt, Mokuba, badly…" He could think of anything more to say so he abruptly shut his mouth and leaned against the wall next to the closed door.

"Hurt how Seto?" Mokuba asked innocently.

Groaning internally the CEO explained, "A… a bad man w-was angry… so he took it out on Yami."

"I'm not stupid Seto, what did he do?"

Half-relieved and half-upset at his younger sibling's tone, Seto sighed wearily. "It… it's not my place to tell you Mokuba. If Yami wants you to know, he will tell you. Otherwise, it's not any of your business," he said softly.

Mokuba looked down at his feet then glanced back up at his tall brother. "But Seto-"

"It isn't any of your business, Mokuba," Kaiba interrupted curtly. "Do you understand?"

Biting his lower lip, the smaller Kaiba nodded hesitantly. Seto moved forward and wrapped his arms around the smaller in apology. He hated being firm with his baby brother, hated nearly having to yell at the small, black-haired boy. But there was nothing to be done when it came to discipline and manners. Mokuba needed to learn not to ask questions where they weren't welcome.

* * *

Yami sat down on the lid of the toilet, swinging his feet as he avoided his other half's gaze. He'd screwed this up; he should have told Grandpa that he was in the hospital that night, should have asked them for help. But he hadn't and he'd hurt his aibou and his friends by doing so.

"We've been looking for you," Yugi said, crossing his arms over his chest and shifting his weight uneasily. "Jou and Honda were worried you'd gotten mad at them and ran away," he added, turning around to look around the spacious bathroom.

"Yugi, I…" the words died on the spirits lips as his eyes began to sting and water. He didn't want to tell Yugi about what had happened that night. The night when he didn't return home…

Yami started again. "Sorry Yugi," he squeaked, his throat tight with suppressed sobs. He just wanted to fall into Yugi's arms and cry until everything was better.

The smaller boy turned to look at him in shock, tears already trailing down his own face. "Yami… Yami," he gulped down a cry and sniffled, "Tell me what happened; where have you been? Everybody's been worried sick about you and here you are sleeping with Kaiba-"

"I was not!" the pharaoh protested, jumping up from his seat. Sighing, he relaxed his shoulders and lifted his arms to wrap them around his lighter half. "I know it looked like that, aibou, but I didn't sleep with him," then in a low murmur, "Not that I didn't _want_ to."

Yugi giggled a little but quickly became serious again. "Why are you here then, Yami?"

"He helped me Yugi. He saw me laying in the middle of the road and-"

"What? 'Laying in the middle of the road'?" Yugi, his hands on his darker half's shoulders, was suddenly holding the taller boy at arms' length and checking him over.

"I'm… I'm okay now Yugi. A little bruised but, okay."

Yugi looked about to released a whole new round of tears. "What happened Yami? Tell me!"

"Aibou, I'm fine. I just-"

"Don't feed me that crap, Yami. You got hurt and I want to know how!" the smaller one shouted, slamming his foot down.

It was Yami's turn to shift apprehensively. "Well," he choked, "I was in the park-after the fight. It got late and I decided to go home, but as I left the park, something hit me on the back of the head. I think it was a glass bottle, but I can't really remember.

"I guess I passed out, 'cause when I woke up I was in an alleyway," he took a deep breath to steady himself but found his body sinking into the arms of his soul partner. "H-he was… he was _raping _me and I couldn't do anything about it!" Yami half-shrieked, weeping into Yugi's shoulder.

"Yami… I-I'm sorry… I'm sorry I got mad at you. Are you…?" Yugi's throat suddenly ached and he choked on a whimper. Yami… Yami had been raped, and he – he didn't know… "Who did this?" he whispered, "Yami, who hurt you?"

"I don't know," the pharaoh sniffled and pulled his other closer. "I don't even care; it's not like he knew me or I him."

"But-"

"Aibou, I just want to forget," he whispered, letting out a shuddering breath, relaxing for the first time since they'd left the presence of the Kaiba siblings.

Nodding, Yugi held the pharaoh close while trying to wipe away his own tears.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm sad, this is only four-and-a-half pages long which is disappointing considering how long it took to write. Well, everyone, please review and tell me what you think!

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who matter don't mind, and those that mind, don't matter." –Dr. Seuss


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **I'm so sorry this took so long. I finished my exams and then my grandparents came over and I had to spend time with them (despite the fact that I don't really like them). So I spent my entire four-day weekend doing chores, being polite, going to boring places, and sleeping. I decided that I would finish this story with this chapter as I had no idea what to do to make it longer but keep it under the two chapters I allotted myself. Dear Lord, it's finally over! I feel like I'm going to cry...

**Disclaimer**: Too late, you lose.

**Warnings: **OOC, shounen-ai, lame attempt at incorporating the title at the last minute...

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 11**

"We should tell them, Yami."

"Not yet, Yugi; I don't want to talk about again right now."

"Well, you'll have to explain at some point; you owe it to them after worrying them so much."

"They were worried?"

"Extremely! We called everyone; Otogi, Rebecca, Valon, Ishizu, Rafael, Mai… Hell, Jou even waited for three hours just to talk to Pegasus! Who, by the way, is now coming to visit as, in his world, a phone call is equivalent to an invitation to spend a week with us."

"He better be staying in a hotel; I'm not putting up with seeing him in his Funny Bunny pajamas at breakfast in the morning."

Yugi chuckled, "That's exactly what Grandpa said."

Yami sighed, resting his head in his hands. "I'm sorry for worrying all of you; I just didn't want to scare you. And I wasn't sure how to tell you guys about what happened to me."

"You seemed to have told Kaiba just fine," Yugi bit out with unnecessary venom, immediately regretting his words.

"Yugi… That's different… He's the one who found me after… He already knew when I woke up in the hospital."

"You called Grandpa that morning, why didn't you tell him what had happened to you? You know we would have taken care of you!" Yugi was angry now, not directly at Yami but at his actions. The taller silently admitted he could have handled the situation better.

Yami lifted his gaze to Yugi's. "I'm not sure…" he admitted, "I didn't want any of you to worry about me and I was afraid of what you would think of me if you knew. People wouldn't act normally around me if they realized. Besides, it's my problem and I can deal with it alone; you shouldn't have to help me in that regard."

"But I want to help you, I'm sure everyone will once you tell them."

"_If_ I tell them…"

"Yami!"

"Why should I give them something more to worry about? Wouldn't it just make them feel guiltier to know that I was raped after I stormed out because of something they said?"

"I suppose…" Yugi muttered, looking away from his other half. "But Yami, friends are supposed to support each other through trouble. If I got hurt like that-"

"Don't even _speak _of something so horrible. I would never let that happen to you!"

"You can't keep me safe all of the time Yami. Every once in a while, something bad has to happen to me. Maybe not rape but maybe Grandpa will die or I'll get refused by the college I want to go to, or maybe I'll be in a car accident. If that happened, wouldn't you tell me that I needed my friends to be there for me? Wouldn't you tell me not to lock myself away from others to take care of it on my own?" Yugi was nearly shouting at the end of his speech, trying to convince Yami.

The pharaoh was sitting wide-eyed, staring at little Yugi. "I suppose you have a point Aibou, but I still don't want to tell them, at least not for a while. Give me a month or two to calm down and maybe I'll talk to them about it. Remember, I still have to tell Grandpa when we get back to the Shop."

"I… okay," Yugi conceded, dropping his arms to his sides in defeat.

A knock resounded on the door.

"What is it?" Yami shouted, moving forward to grip the doorknob.

"The Mutt and Friendship Girl are standing on my doorstep demanding they be let in; either go outside with them or tell them to leave before I set my guard dogs on them."

Yami gave Yugi a pleading look and the smaller rolled his eyes.

"Oh, all right," the shorter answered, rolling his violet eyes once more for good measure.

Yami opened the door to allow Yugi through and followed closely after.

* * *

Mokuba wasn't certain why his brother didn't like Jou and Anzu or why the brunette always forgot about Honda. (Honda was cool; he had an awesome jacket and a really sweet dog; who could forget about him?) He did know that Seto tended to tolerate them more when Yami and Yugi were around to even out the balance of personalities. Of course, Yami and Yugi were speaking in the far corner of the room, trying to decide what to tell their impatient friends.

The Kaiba siblings were sitting on a couch near the center of the room, directly facing the large fireplace. To their left, on another sofa, were Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda. The three guests were fidgeting rather noticeably beneath the irritated gaze of the tall, brown-haired CEO. Anzu continuously crossed and uncrossed her legs, tapping her left foot whenever both of her sneakers were resting on the floor, Jou's eyes darted from Yami to Seto to his own lap as he chewed nervously on his thumb, and Honda, being bland and normal – at least, according to Seto – twiddled his thumbs, his hands clasped politely in his lap.

All eyes turned toward the corner when the pharaoh stood up, loudly clearing his throat. He met Kaiba's gaze for a moment but quickly focused on his agitated, confused friends.

"I'm sorry for lying about my location in the past week, I worried you unnecessarily and broke your trust," he began. "I was… incapacitated and did not wish to upset you any more than needed. Kaiba was kind enough to allow me to stay here and I made him swear not to reveal my whereabouts to anyone, not even Mokuba."

"Wha'dya mean 'incapacitated'? What happened to ya Yams?" Jounouchi immediately inquired. Yami clenched his teeth and shook his head, taking a deep breath before proceeding.

"Nothing you should be concerned with Jou. I appreciate your worry, but I am fine now and there is no reason to bring up the incident," his voice shook a little and Yugi settled a hand on the spirit's shoulder in comfort.

"Yami…" Anzu began but quickly closed her mouth and looked down at her lap when she saw the look in the pharaoh's crimson orbs. After a moment, she looked up again, avoiding Yami's gaze, "We're here for you…"

Honda, Jou, Yugi, and Mokuba nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, perhaps, in time, I will tell you what happened. But this moment is too early," he explained.

Kaiba stood abruptly, leaving the room and its occupants behind.

"What a jerk!" Anzu huffed, glaring at Seto's receding form from her vantage point on the couch.

Biting his lip, Yami felt torn between catching up with his friends and confronting the brunette. Deciding that he needed to finish what had been interrupted earlier, he followed the CEO out of the room.

**

* * *

**

The young billionaire was found in his study, looking introspective as he stared off toward the corner of the room. He was leaning forward in his high-backed chair, his elbows on his desk, bookending the sided of his closed laptop.

"Hey…" Yami announced softly, startling the older man from his thoughts. The pharaoh had never seen Seto so hesitant before; silent and thoughtful had never been adequate words for the taller. Though the moment ended upon the spirit's interruption, it bothered the shorter immensely. What was so important, so distracting that Kaiba wouldn't here the door open?

"Hn," came the blue-eyed man's bland reply.

"Seto?"

The CEO raised an eyebrow at the petite figure before him in askance.

"You said earlier, to forget that morning at the restaurant, why?"

"It was forward of me. I might have caused you unnecessary trauma after being disturbed by prior painful events."

"But you didn't," Yami pointed out.

"It was a possibility nonetheless, I shouldn't have been so insistent," Kaiba argued.

The pharaoh strode forward and slapped his hands down on the desk. "What does that matter if I enjoyed it? If I wanted it? I'm stronger than you think Seto! I won't let myself be overcome by such an insignificant event!"

"'Wanted it?'"

"Yes, I wanted it; I wanted you to kiss me and I liked it! Is that so hard a concept to comprehend?"

"But you-"

"'But' what? If I hadn't wanted you to kiss me would I have responded?"

"You ignored me though! I thought you regretted it!"

"_You _ignored _me _first!" Yami cried in exasperation, "You aren't always right Seto. Just because I was avoiding you, didn't mean I wasn't thinking about you!"

"What does that matter? We still hate each other, don't we? We can't possibly go from rivals to lovers in a single week, not even after what happened to you. It is futile to think we could ever get along."

"You know what? I give up! You're such a dick, Kaiba!" He turned away from Seto's desk and stormed angrily from the room.

The CEO made to get up and give chase for a moment, then thought better of it. Running his hands through his hair, he berated himself, "I fucked that up big-time, didn't I?"

**

* * *

**Yugi met Yami at the bottom of the staircase, his round face glowing with a smile. "You ready to go Yami? Everyone else is waiting outside in the limo."

"Y-yeah," the pharaoh replied, still trembling with anger and a bit of sadness.

The shorter frowned but took the taller boy's hand, "Do you have anything you need to get?"

"No."

Yugi tugged the spirit out through the grand double doors, down the short flight of steps and into the limo. Their three friends smiled welcomingly at him as he took a seat next to Honda, whom he considered the least likely to bother him on the drive to the Game Shop.

"What should we do when we get home Yami? We could rent a movie or play a game or maybe we could go to the arcade; it's your choice," Yugi said cheerily.

Yami sighed and looked out the darkened window. "I'd rather just rest, Aibou. I've had a rather long day."

"Oh… okay, I guess we'll just watch a movie downstairs without you then. We'll keep it down while you nap…"

"Hm."

"Yami?"

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you didn't forget anything back at the mansion?" Yugi asked, concerned.

The spirit began to answer 'Yes' but then hesitated. He closed his eyes in thought. _'Forgetting something?'_

His crimson orbs shot open and he darted toward the front of the limo, pressing the intercom button. "Stop the car!" he shouted at the driver and he felt the vehicle lurch beneath his feet.

"Yami?"

"You're right, I am forgetting something Yugi."

The shorter smiled a bit sadly but nodded in understanding. "Then you should hurry."

Yami opened the door and turned back to look at his friends. "I'll see you later; I have something to take care of."

Luckily, the limo had stopped only two blocks from the gates of the Kaiba mansion.

* * *

Seto returned to the living room to find the Yugi-tachi absent along with Mokuba. Tiredly, he flopped down on the sofa with a defeated sigh. Why had he said that to Yami? Was he in denial of his own feelings for the little pharaoh? It was entirely possible that he was subconsciously protecting the king after the attack.

Whatever was happening, he wasn't doing it by choice; he wanted Yami beside him, wanted to hold him and cherish him. There was no point in wanting him if he couldn't admit it though.

"Master Kaiba, someone is here to see you."

Seto looked up at the butler standing in the doorway. "Send him in then."

The older gentleman nodded and left. In his place stood a short, slender boy who was biting his lip in agitation.

"Yami?"

The pharaoh stepped forward, staring at the brunette with determined eyes. The CEO stood, using his amazing height to intimidate the smaller. But the spirit refused to back down and Kaiba had to rethink his response in the study just minutes ago.

"What are you doing here?" he blurted out without thought.

Yami rolled his eyes and stepped forward.

"I still think you're a jerk."

The taller raised an eyebrow. "Is that all you came to tell me? I already knew that."

"No, that's not all. That's not even the half of it."

"Then what-?"

The pharaoh quickly brought his arms up to grip the CEO's shirt collar and tugged with a strength that his skinny arms belied. Their lips met for the third time in the week they had spent with each other and Kaiba melted. His large hands tangled in onyx and ruby tresses, holding the back of Yami's head, urging him to continue the kiss.

They parted for breath and neither could remove the silly smile from his face. "Is that all?"

"No," Yami admitted, wrapping his arms around the broader man. "I also wanted to say 'I love you,' but I'm not so sure I have to anymore…"

"I thought you gave up?"

"I changed my mind."

Seto laughed.

This feeling couldn't be spoken, only experienced. No matter how they tried to express it in words, it remained… nameless.

* * *

**A/N: ***Blinks rapidly* Is... is it really over? OMR! No, I will not be doing a sequel, it would be like beating a dead horse...

**Interesting Fact (or not): Katsuya **is a female name meaning victorious

Okay, that fact was lame so here's a quote:

"Losing a childrens card game has caused me to have an existential crisis!"

-LK as Yugi in Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series (which is not owned by me)

If you haven't heard yet, his CardGamesFTW account is now back up and running with new videos. There's also a new "Marik Plays Bloodlines" video up on his ObeyMyRod account...

I'm obsessed!

Please review and tell me what you thought about the story. I will try to finish my next story, "Tin Man" in the next couple of weeks and post it in February.


End file.
